Please help with overflow issues

doox00 · 10/17/2006, 10:46 AM

My tank has been up for 10 months or so, since day 1 I have had drain issues, I bought the aga overflow hit, which has aga's version of a durso. I would get flushing effect, overflow would fill up and then surge and drain and repeat, I tried adjusting the flow of the return pump, the size of the hole on top, the drain line into the sump and so on. Only way I could make it somewhat quiet was turning the flow back into the tank way way down.. to the point where you could barely feel water coming out of the return lines in the tank.

I had 3/4" plumbing from return pump to the return bulkhead in the tank, last night I changed that to 1.5" plumbing as when I first started this I was told that would be restricting my pump pretty badly. I also replaced the aga durso standpipe last night with a stockman I made, the stockman does the same exact thing, flushes unless I turn the return flow way down.

Could someone please give me some help with this, I am very frustrated at this point. Here is a little diagram I made of my plumbing layout. Pretty simple layout.

Shooter7 · 10/17/2006, 11:18 AM

Usually, the flushing effect is simply a matter of venting the drain. When I set up my dursos, I started the water running, took the durso cap and drilled a hole with the smallest bit I had and put it back on....repeated this over and over, moving the bit size up by one each time I drilled on the same hole. Eventually, the flushing decreased until it was finely tuned and didn't flush at all. I don't have a stockman or the AGA stock drains, so not sure what to tell you on those, just know what worked on mine.

As far as your return plumbing...3/4" will restrict your pump more while the larger diameter allows it to flow more easily. Also, with regards to your return pump choice, it is somewhat concerning that if this is a standard AGA and you have a single drain, that drain is probably rated at 600 gph. You have a pump that puts out 950. Now, I know you have some head to consider on the plumbing and I see that you have it tee'd back to the drain area (which I'm not sure why this is), but I still make it a practice not to run a return pump that pumps more than my drains can handle. If you were to close that tee and forget it at some point, you'd stand a chance of overflowing your display. Just some observations on my end...you may have already covered this stuff somewhere.

doox00 · 10/17/2006, 11:26 AM

yeah, the drain T is for that reason, to adjust flow back to the main tank. Even if I close it off and have all of the return going back to the display, the overflow keeps up.. just flushes like mad.

10/17/2006, 10:46 AM	#1
doox00 Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: West Michigan Posts: 928	Please help with overflow issues My tank has been up for 10 months or so, since day 1 I have had drain issues, I bought the aga overflow hit, which has aga's version of a durso. I would get flushing effect, overflow would fill up and then surge and drain and repeat, I tried adjusting the flow of the return pump, the size of the hole on top, the drain line into the sump and so on. Only way I could make it somewhat quiet was turning the flow back into the tank way way down.. to the point where you could barely feel water coming out of the return lines in the tank. I had 3/4" plumbing from return pump to the return bulkhead in the tank, last night I changed that to 1.5" plumbing as when I first started this I was told that would be restricting my pump pretty badly. I also replaced the aga durso standpipe last night with a stockman I made, the stockman does the same exact thing, flushes unless I turn the return flow way down. Could someone please give me some help with this, I am very frustrated at this point. Here is a little diagram I made of my plumbing layout. Pretty simple layout.

10/17/2006, 11:18 AM	#2
Shooter7 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Tolono, IL Posts: 6,754	Usually, the flushing effect is simply a matter of venting the drain. When I set up my dursos, I started the water running, took the durso cap and drilled a hole with the smallest bit I had and put it back on....repeated this over and over, moving the bit size up by one each time I drilled on the same hole. Eventually, the flushing decreased until it was finely tuned and didn't flush at all. I don't have a stockman or the AGA stock drains, so not sure what to tell you on those, just know what worked on mine. As far as your return plumbing...3/4" will restrict your pump more while the larger diameter allows it to flow more easily. Also, with regards to your return pump choice, it is somewhat concerning that if this is a standard AGA and you have a single drain, that drain is probably rated at 600 gph. You have a pump that puts out 950. Now, I know you have some head to consider on the plumbing and I see that you have it tee'd back to the drain area (which I'm not sure why this is), but I still make it a practice not to run a return pump that pumps more than my drains can handle. If you were to close that tee and forget it at some point, you'd stand a chance of overflowing your display. Just some observations on my end...you may have already covered this stuff somewhere. __________________ Dave Current Tank Info: 10 years salty - standard 29g reef - moved from 120 gal reef, 2x250w Reeflux 10k's on ARO electronics and VHO super actinics on Icecap ballast, 2xTunze 6060, MSX 200 skimmer, GEO 612 Ca reactor, mag 12 return

10/17/2006, 11:26 AM	#3
doox00 Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: West Michigan Posts: 928	yeah, the drain T is for that reason, to adjust flow back to the main tank. Even if I close it off and have all of the return going back to the display, the overflow keeps up.. just flushes like mad.